Queer Infocus | November II ’19

Queer InFocus is a bimonthly roundup of queer news in India.

Kolkata: Parents threaten to kill gay couple, drive them out

November 21, 2019

Threatened of honor killing, a young gay couple were forced to leave their home and seek refuge in a city hideout. They were allegedly beaten up, tortured and were forced to attend a Kangaroo court who ruled that they wouldn’t be permitted to live together.

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LGBTQ job fair draws accolades, opens up new career avenues for community

November 24, 2019

Q-rious, a job fair for the LGBTQ community, conceptualised by Stockroom.io, Equiv.in’s parent company and Humsafar Trust was held at The Lalit, Delhi. Over 15 firms, such as Societe Generale, Optum, Flipkart participated in the day-long event and was attended by more than 500 members of the LGBTQ community.

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Queer Pride Parade 2019 in Delhi Takes on Transgender Bill

November 25, 2019

Thousands of LGBTQIA+ community members and allies marched on the streets of Delhi to celebrate the 12th Queer Pride Parade. They not only celebrated pride but also appealed to put a stop to the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill introduced in the Rajya Sabha.

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Rajya Sabha passes Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019

November 26 2019

The Rajya Sabha passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019.

While the bill intents to protect the trans community, it is highly problematic and does the exact opposite. It also fails to comply with India’s constitutional and international human rights obligation.

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Nama Pride 2019 in Bengaluru wears black in solidarity against injustice

November 26, 2019

On the 24th of November, Bengaluru took to the streets to celebrate it’s 12th Pride march, the central theme of which was the Transgender Bill. Members of the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies wore black to protest against various issues such as The Transgender Bill, Kashmir issue, JNU protests and repealing AFSPA.

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Acceptance for LGBTQ and specially-abled professionals, a business stigma for India Inc. firms: TimesJobs survey

November 27, 2019

In an exclusive survey conducted by TimesJobs on ‘Diversity and Inclusion initiatives practised by the Indian corporates’ with 1,137 professionals across various industry verticals found that 57% of respondents felt that their company would never hire a professional from the LGBTQ+ community or specially-abled background at senior leadership. While more than 83% respondents denied having people from the community at senior leadership, 43% said that being open about one’s sexual orientation is still a taboo in their organisation.

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Delhi to hold its own queer lit fest

November 29 2019

After Kolkata, Chennai and Lucknow, Delhi too will be holding its inaugural edition of the Rainbow Lit Fest on 7-8 December, at The Gulmohar Park Club. Some keynote speakers include actor and director, Nadita Das, film-maker Onir, musician Shubha Mudgal. The  programme will feature film-makers, artists, writers, lawyers, activists and change-makers from different fields.

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Transgender-inclusive nursing curriculum launched

November 29, 2019

Kasturba Gandhi Nursing College, a constituent college of Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth university, introduces ‘Transgender – inclusive nursing curriculum’ in undergranduate and postgraduate nursing courses. It was launched to train nurses to serve the transgender community better thereby achieving the concept of health for all.

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LGBTQ Film Starring Zareen Khan And Anshuman Jha, ‘Hum Bhi Akele, Tum Bhi Akele’ Wins Best Film At The HBO South Asian Film Festival

November 29, 2019

At its World Premiere in New York, Harish Vyas’ directorial, ‘ Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele’ bagged the ‘Best Film’ Audience Choice Award at the HBO South Asian International Film Festival. It  features Anshuman Jha who plays Veer, a gay man and Zareen Khan as Mansii, a lesbian. The film follows their road trip from Delhi to Mcleodgunj and their friendship.

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Mumbai: Trans, queer collectives in city gather to protest new Bill

November 28, 2019

Members of the trans community gathered to express their dissatisfaction in a press event jointly organised by Labia, Thane Queer Collective, Forum Against Oppression of Women; People’s Union of Civil Liberties; and Jan Swasthya Abhiyaan, Mumbai.

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“Will go to court if we have to’’: Hundreds protest the regressive Trans Bill in Bengaluru

November 28, 2019

“Kick out trans Bill!”,“We want justice!”,“Down down trans Bill!”, echoed as hundreds protected against the Trans Bill.

“The president must not sign the Bill, and must send it back to Rajya Sabha. A select committee must discuss it with the trans community and re-draft the Bill”`, said Mallappa, one of the many protesters.

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Pune: Sex workers urge President Kovind not to sign transgender Bill

November 29, 2019

The National Network of Sex Workers, India, with over 1 lakh members,  urges President Ram Nath Kovind not to sign the transgender Bill 2019. Kiran Deshmukh, president, NNSW, said in the letter to Kovind that the Bill harms communities of transgender people.

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People protest against the Transgender Persons Bill 2019 at Dadar

November 30th, 2019

Dadar Station saw a large number of people with placards, chanting slogans protesting the Trans Bill 2019. The Bill has been rejected by the community as it fails to protect them in the truest sense.

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The recently passed trans bill serves to be extremely disadvantageous for the community. Sexual violence against trans persons is punishable only upto 2 years with a fine. There are no clear provisions with regards to discrimination against trans persons in education, employment, healthcare or law enforcement. The bill does not even clearly define the term “transgender” and implies that people should have to medically correct their gender, something which is expensive and not easily accessible for all. It also violates transpersons in multiple ways by subjecting them to random checks and snatching away their agencies.The bill is in all ways harmful to the trans community.

Haima Simoes is Outreach Officer at the Queer Resource Centre at One Future Collective.